1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to protective pads worn in athletic events.
2. Description of Related Art
With increasing emphasis on sports and fitness there is a growing demand for athletic wear offering improved performance. For example, competitive indoor events such as volleyball are typically played on a hard wood floor. It is important, in executing some athletic maneuvers, that the participant be able to slide across the floor often times at great speed. It is important that vulnerable parts of the wearers anatomy, such as the knees and elbows be protected by pads or guards which do not impede the players performance. To this end, a number of lightweight protective pads, have been developed.
Such pads have been treated with a protective material where the pads contact the floor to protect the pad from the wear and tear caused by such sliding and to reduce friction, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,247.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a protective pad for use in athletic events and to a method of making such a pad.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pad to cover a wearers knee or elbow, reducing the risk of injury especially of a type which may be encountered when sliding across a floor.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a protective pad of improved economical construction which offer features which enhance a wearers athletic performance.
These and other objects of the present invention are provided in a protective garment for use on a wearer""s knee or elbow to protect the wearer from injury in an athletic event, are comprised of a hollow cylindrical body including padding material covered by an outer nylon shell. A patch is applied to the outer surface of the nylon shell by heating and pressing a film of polytetrafluoroethylene (sold by the DuPont Corporation under the trademark TEFLON) powder and plastisol ink against an outer surface of the nylon shell.